Everlasting Love
by iheartinuyasha
Summary: Inuyasha's been in love with her since he first laid eyes on her. She's been harboring a secret. Like all things do, the truth emerges. Can he find the will and the way to save her. Or will she just be another memory?
1. Chapter 1

Everlasting Love : Feeling out of place Everlasting Love Feeling out of place

The wind breezed through his silver hair as he ran down the crowded city sidewalk. He glanced at his watch again. He was twenty minutes late because of a meeting with his professor. Inuyasha knew that his best friend Miroku would give him an ear full because of it as soon as he saw him.

Sometimes, he often found himself enjoying being late; it gave him a chance to run. He was the only person he knew that could run twenty blocks in under two minutes. It didn't help that he was a half demon, as defined by the perky silver dog ears atop his head.

Inuyasha, a senior at Tokyo University, _loved_ the city. He and his best friend had both been raised in the country their entire lives and at the first chance, they escaped. They moved into a small, two bedroom apartment that over-looked a large park. As damaged as the apartment appeared, it was home.

He slowed when the old diner came into view. Its old-fashioned look and simple function kept him satisfied and calm. It was a relaxing atmosphere, filled with people who all knew one another. It was as if the place and the people were taken out of some small town and put in that section of the city. It was shocking to see the skyscrapers tower above it from the windows. It seemed so out of place. And that's what Inuyasha loved about it. It was like he could relate. He, himself, had always felt somewhat out of place, for the sheer fact that he was different.

Another reason for his love of the diner resided inside it. It wasn't actually _part_ of the diner. It was the beautiful Kagome Higurashi, a waitress that worked at the diner. She was a goddess in Inuyasha's eyes and he spent hours, days, months thinking only of her. The first time he had walked into the diner, directly in front of him at the register, she was seated. She smiled and asked him if he wanted smoking or non. He just stared at her dumbly and nodded. That was the first time he heard her laugh. His heart damn-near stopped.

He couldn't catch his breath and was basically panting any time she was near. The slightest touch from her was enough to send him into a panicked frenzy. He'd babble and ramble, not making the slightest sense. What made it worse was that she was blissfully unaware of the hold she had on him. All she had to do was bat an eyelash in his direction and he was rendered helpless.

As he neared the diner, his best friend, Miroku came into view. He was staring into the diner intently. Inuyasha knew that he was eyeing Kagome's best friend and co-worker Sango. A feisty young lady, Sango could keep Miroku's lecherous behavior at bay. As beautiful as he thought Kagome, Inuyasha had to admit that Sango was quite a looker as well. She always wore her hair in a tight ponytail and had on loose fitting clothing, regardless of the fact that she has the body of a fighting champion underneath. He and Miroku saw her at the gym nearly every morning when they went. Inuyasha supposed that in a past life, Sango must have been a warrior of some sort.

Kagome's beauty, on the other hand, was much softer than Sango's. He knew that she was a master archer and had the upper body strength to rival some of the world's top gymnasts. Her long, lean legs were always visible from the skirts that adorned her body. He felt himself blushing when he thought about her bare legs and strong arms. Inuyasha almost felt undeserving of her friendship at times. She was always smiling and happy, while he was a cantankerous fool. Never can he remember having a bad day after seeing her smiling face. She was like a drug that he was completely addicted to.

His thoughts veered to a small, black box that was stuffed in the top drawer of his dresser. Before his mother passed, when he was a child, she gave him that box. Inside was a ring. A silver band embellished with a single, glistening diamond. Inuyasha planned to someday ask Kagome to marry him. He couldn't see a future for himself without her in it. If only he could get over the fear of asking her on a date.

Inuyasha slowed to a crawl. He snuck up behind Miroku and leaned in close to his ear before he hissed, "Stop staring at Sango!"

Miroku jumped back and turned on his friend. "Don't do that, man! You're going to give me a myocardial infarction."

"Is that your "Medical Term of the Day?" Inuyasha asked. Miroku was currently studying to be a pediatrician and had a day-to-day rip-off calendar of medical terms. Every single day Inuyasha had to hear a new word. It was a tad annoying.

"Yes, my friend, it is. Besides, who said I was looking at Miss Sango?" he said with a sheepish grin.

"You're stupid," Inuyasha said as he pulled Miroku by the sleeve and into the diner. When they were seated at their usual booth, he turned back to him. "When are you _not_ staring at Sango?"

"Touché. I stare at Sango just as much as you stare at Kagome."

"Shut up!" Inuyasha hissed. "She could hear you."

"So what if she does? It's about time you make your feelings known," Miroku said, not even caring to lower his voice. He knew that Inuyasha was completely obsessed with Kagome and has been trying to get the half demon to say something to her. By the way she looks at him when he doesn't know; Miroku would guess that she feels the same. While Miroku was contemplating, he didn't notice Inuyasha lean forward on his elbows. He immediately knew what he was going to ask. It was the same question that he had asked since the second time they entered the diner.

"Is she here?" he whispered.

Rolling his eyes, but following through, Miroku glanced around the diner. Small as it was, she could've been in any number of places. Sure enough, over by the juke box, wearing her customary skirt and blouse with an apron over it, Kagome dancing to a soft beat with Sango.

"My friend, take a look for yourself," he said as he looked over to the girls again.

Inuyasha pretended he was scratching his chin on his shoulder and looked back in the direction that Miroku had looked. His breath caught in his throat. She was bobbing to the beat and laughing with Sango. He watched her hips sway in a most entrancing way.

Sango just happened to notice Inuyasha's obvious "chin scratch" and was motioning for Kagome to look over at him. When she did, Inuyasha whipped his head around so as not to be caught staring. He felt his cheeks flush. His ears perked when he heard footsteps coming in their direction. She was getting closer, he could tell. He had memorized everything about her, from the way her hair glistened in the dull light of the diner to the way her footsteps sounded. His heart sped up with each footstep. Then, he felt a hand on his shoulder. His senses were filled with her lavender scent and he squeezed his eyes shut, so that she could not see the way her touch caused them to roll back in his head.

"I'd ask if you guys wanted a menu, but you always order the same thing," she said as she let go of his shoulder and pulled a tablet from her apron, all while leaning a hip on the table. Inuyasha stared at it. He felt a kick under the table and blinked hard. She didn't wait for them to answer and instead turned around to the kitchen, resting her butt on the edge of the table. Inuyasha clenched his fist and took a long breath.

"Hey, Joe!" she shouted to the kitchen. "Inuyasha and Miroku are here." He nodded and went to work with their orders, obviously knowing what they wanted. She turned around again and poked Inuyasha in the shoulder. "Move in, will you?" He gulped. Could she hear his heart? Surely it was pounding loud enough.

"How's Sango?" Miroku asked. Noting the hanyou's flustered look.

"Why don't you ask me yourself?" Sango said as she walked by with a try full of food. She passed the table and Miroku leaned out to get a glimpse of her firm, and tightly worked ass.

"How were classes today," Kagome asked them both, but was looking at Inuyasha.

"Mine were fine. I can't believe I got all male professors this semester. How boring," Miroku said while looking at his fingernails. Kagome just shook her head and then returned her gaze to Inuyasha.

"Oh, uh, mine were okay. I had a meeting with one of my professors so that's why I was late," Inuyasha said. His heart was racing so fast that he could barely breathe. He looked down, their arms were touching. He felt his skin burning where it met hers.

The ding of the kitchen bell sounded and Kagome rushed up to get their orders. She returned with a tray of coffee and cheesecake, the same thing they had _every single time_ they entered the diner. Immediately, he missed the warmth that her touch brought.

"Can I get you guys anything else?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Miroku said, "but I'm sure Inuyasha would like something more."

Inuyasha waited for Miroku to put a fork full of cheesecake up to his mouth before he kicked him under the table. The cheesecake fell from his fork and landed in the middle of his shirt.

"Damn it, Inuyasha," he growled.

Kagome giggled. "What more would you like?"

Miroku almost choked on his coffee. "Nothing that you can give him here," he managed to spit out. Inuyasha sent him a dangerous glance. As soon as they were out of sight of the diner, Miroku's life would be _ending_.

"I, uh," Inuyasha tried to think quickly. But as usual, his mind was a complete blank when he was around her. _What the hell_, he thought. "I was wondering if you'd go to dinner with me."

Miroku dropped his fork, Sango skidded to a stop beside the table, and Inuyasha's heart thumped wildly in his ears. Then, all attention turned to Kagome. Her smile widened and she tucked her hair behind her ear.

"I'd love to," she said before she walked away to seat some new customers.

It was as if everyone in the diner had been holding their breath for her answer. Inuyasha definitely was. With a loud exhale, he relaxed and dug into his cheesecake. After he had finished the whole piece, he looked up to find Miroku staring at him.

"What?" he asked, waving his hand in Miroku's face. "You need to blink before your eyes dry up and fall out of your head."

"I can't believe you just did that," he said, still wide-eyed.

"Dude, I'm still _numb_ from the fact that she said yes," Inuyasha said.

"She didn't just say yes, she said she'd _love_ to," Miroku exclaimed. "She'd _love_ to go on a date with you. That's awesome!"

"Shh, she'll hear you. I don't want her to think that I'm over hear giggling like a little girl," he nudged Miroku's elbow.

"You want to though, don't you? You want to jump up and down and squeal. Admit it," Miroku said, nudging him back.

"Shut up," Inuyasha said. He turned around to look for Kagome, to make sure that she hadn't heard anything Miroku was saying. She came around the corner with a tray of food and when she saw him looking, her face brightened with a large smile. He felt a kick under the table and he turned to Miroku. "What?"

"Look at her. She's so happy. And that's all because you grew some balls."

Kagome bustled by and went back into the kitchen. Sango was waiting on the other side of the door. When Kagome stepped through, she grabbed her arm and pulled her to the back room.

"What the hell?" she asked. "I thought you weren't going to go out with him?"

"I don't know, Sango. He just came out and asked me. You've seen those eyes. How could I say no?"

"Then what was all that about not wanting to get close to him?" Sango raised an eyebrow.

"I know, I know. I've got time. I just want one date before I-,"

"Don't say it," Sango shouted. She put her hands over her ears and shook her head.

Kagome grabbed her shaking friend. "Fine, fine, fine. I won't say it. But it's a reality we'll have to face soon enough. And we'll face it together. Besides, I want to enjoy what time I have left. That's why I decided to say yes to Inuyasha."

"I don't want to face this. This isn't fair. My best friend shouldn't be dying." Sango's eyes started to fill with tears and she swallowed hard, to keep them at bay.

Kagome smiled. "I thought we weren't going to say that word."

"How can you be so calm?"

"Why should I spend the time I have left miserable?" She pulled Sango into a hug. "I'm going to be with my best friend and I'm never going to be happier. Now, enough of this. We're not going to talk about this again. I'm going to go on a date with Inuyasha and then I'm going to come back and give you _all_ the details." With that, she turned and walked out of the back room, leaving a dumbfounded Sango in her wake.

Sango put her head down in defeat. Ever since that day, she's been worried about Kagome's health. That one day changed both of their lives, and nothing was going to be the same.

It was their last week of high school and they were at a park celebrating graduation when Kagome blacked out. Sango thought she was joking around at first. Then she saw the blood, slowly seeping from her nose and the corner of her mouth. When they took her to the hospital, the doctors refused to tell Sango what was wrong. They claimed that it was a doctor/patient confidentiality agreement, regardless of the fact that Kagome was basically her only family and vice-versa.

A few days after Kagome was released from the hospital, Sango finally got her to talk. They were sitting and watching a movie when she couldn't take it anymore.

"Sango, I need to tell you something that's really serious," Kagome started. _Everybody_ knows that a conversation that starts _that_ way can't be good.

"I'm listening," she said as she shoved a handful of popcorn in her mouth.

"I don't know how to explain it and I don't want to drag it out. I'm dying." Kagome looked over at Sango, who had stopped mid-chew.

"_What_?" she said, even though she heard her.

"The doctor's say that it's something wrong with the way my brain is producing electrolytes. The signals are getting weaker and will eventually stop working all together."

"How long do you have?" Sango asked. This had to be some sick joke.

"A few years, tops. That's if I stay regular on the medications and live a stress-free life. I decided that I'm not going to college. I'm just going to stay here, in the city and keep my job at the diner. I don't want to be anywhere else when I die."

She said it all so calmly. A few years; why didn't that sound as long as Kagome thought it would?

Sango swallowed her mouthful and slowly let the tears burst onto her cheeks. Graduation was the only time they left their apartment. They spent 3 weeks just watching movies and thinking. Then, one day Kagome decided that she wanted to get out and Sango just agreed.

When they met Inuyasha and Miroku, Sango saw the look in her eyes. She was madly in love with this silver-haired, dog-eared boy and there was nothing that anyone could do about it. When Sango called her on it, Kagome said that she would never try and pursue a relationship with him because of the fact that she didn't have long to live. She claimed that she didn't want him to get too attached because of his past. Apparently, his past was scattered with the deaths of his loved ones. Kagome didn't feel it was fair to him to put so much on his shoulders; to get into a relationship that would end because her life would. It was a sad twist of fate.

Sango marched out of the back room with her head held high as she forced the tears back. There was _no way_ that she'd let anyone see her cry. She looked at the clock and then ran to catch up with her best friend. When she was beside her, she lowered her voice so that only Kagome could hear.

"Did you take your pills?"

Kagome nodded. "How could I forget? My life depends on those little white tablets." She smiled, trying to lighten Sango's gloomy mood. "Don't worry about me, Sango. I've last four years. I'm pretty much invincible."

Sango smiled. Her friend was right. She overcame some tough obstacles.

Inuyasha looked over his shoulder at the two girls. His sensitive ears had picked up on the whole conversation. _What's wrong with Kagome_? His thoughts eluded him as Miroku smacked him in the face.

"We've got to go." He was tapping the face of his watch impatiently. They stood to leave.

He decided to keep what he had overheard to himself as he looked around for Kagome. When he spotted her, his pulse picked up and he walked over to her.

"So how about Friday at 7?" he asked, still ecstatic that she said yes.

"Sounds good. I'll meet you here and we can go from there," she smiled. His heart melted.

Next Chapter


	2. Chapter 2

Everlasting Love : Getting Closer, to her dismay Everlasting Love Getting Closer, to her dismay

The rest of the week went excruciatingly slow for Inuyasha. His classes seemed to drabble on for hours and the nights went equally slow. He was so nervous and excited at the same time that he was having night sweats like some menopausal old hag.

Miroku seemed to sense, which wasn't that hard at all, his uneasiness.

"Inuyasha, what the hell's wrong with you?" he said, nonchalantly.

"Dude, I'm so freaking nervous about this date that I'm losing my mind."

"Well, you only have to wait another 2 hours," Miroku said, pointing at the clock on the microwave.

"Whatever. I'm gonna go take a shower," he said as he walked to the bathroom.

"Make sure it's a cold shower, just in case you don't get to boink her after the date," Miroku said over his shoulder, making himself comfortable on the couch. A shoe flew across the space from the direction of the bathroom and hit Miroku square in the back of the head. "What the fu-!"

"Don't talk about her like that, man," Inuyasha called from the bathroom.

Meanwhile, across town, Kagome was running around her apartment, thrashing through random articles of clothing. Sango, who was perched in the bay window that overlooked the city, with a book, watched as her best friend dashed from her bedroom with a different outfit on, every two minutes.

"How about this one?" she'd say and before Sango could answer, she'd dart into her room again and then reemerge minutes later with something else on. Finally, she disappeared for about twenty minutes and then came out of her room looking flawless. She was wearing a simple pair of jeans and a green zip up hoodie with a pink cami underneath. Her make up was simple and her hair was glossy and stopped halfway down her back.

"You amaze me," Sango said, shaking her head at her best friend.

"Why?" Kagome said as she rechecked her makeup in the mirror by the door.

"Because that's the first outfit you tried on."

Kagome looked down and laughed. "I guess it is! Wish me luck." She waved her friend goodbye. Sango waved and then dove back into the book that was resting in her lap.

Inuyasha sat, fidgeting his fingers, for about ten minutes. He looked at his watch and sighed. He was still fifteen minutes early. In his excitement, he left the house 30 minutes before he and Kagome were supposed to meet at the diner. Minus the five minutes it took to walk there and the ten he spent twiddling his thumbs, the last fifteen minutes seemed like slow torture for him. That is, until Kagome walked into the diner.

He nearly fell from his seat. She looked amazing and it made Inuyasha unsure of himself. Constant thoughts of his undeserving were making him even more nervous. She spotted him and then sat down in the booth with him, across the table. Her scent wafted into his nostrils and his head started swimming. They both sat, smiling at each other for a moment before he broke the silence.

"You look amazing," he said sheepishly. She blushed and said thank you. "So, I was thinking that we go to a movie and then out for ice cream," Inuyasha mused.

"That sounds nice," she said, smiling. They stood and started for the door, when Kagome noticed what he was wearing. She was so used to seeing him in his suit and tie from school that she rarely got to see him in casual dress. He was wearing a red polo with a white dress shirt underneath. The sleeves were rolled up and the bottom flaps were sticking out from the bottom of the polo. His faded jeans hung low on his hips and were fitted perfectly around his taut bottom. The pant legs covered most of the white Addidas' he was sporting. _Perfect_, she thought as she stared at his ass.

"You look amazing," he said when they stepped out onto the street.

"You said that already," Kagome giggled. "But thank you, again."

Inuyasha scratched his behind his ear, trying to hide his embarrassment, and noticed that her gaze stayed on his ears a minute before she looked away, her cheeks pinking a little.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to stare," she said, mentally bashing herself for being so rude.

"It's alright. I get that a lot. People think they're weird," Inuyasha said bitterly.

She stopped walking and stared at him. "I don't think they're weird." She caught up with him. "I think they're really cute." He looked at her curiously. She was nothing like anyone he'd ever met. She was so kind.

They arrived at the theater and picked one of the older films that was playing, got popcorn and drinks and headed for their seats. Inuyasha spent the entire two hours convincing himself that she _wouldn't_ slap him if he put his arm around her. Sadly, he couldn't get the courage up to actually do it.

Kagome sat quietly, enjoying the movie, but silently wishing that she was sitting in Inuyasha's lap, running her fingers through his hair. To deny the attraction between them would be stupid. The air was so thick with sexual tension that you could slap it. She locked her fingers together to keep from rubbing them on his ears.

Once the movie was over, they headed for the nearest dairy. With ice cream cones in hand, the two walked into a park.

"Did you like the movie?" Inuyasha said, unsure of what to talk about. Currently, it was taking all that he had not to shove her down in the soft grass and ravage her perfect body like a savage beast.

"Yeah, I loved it."

"How's your ice cream?" he asked.

"Oh, uh," she said, finally noticing that it was melting all over her hand. It dribbled down to her wrist and she didn't even think before she licked it all the way up to her pinky finger.

Inuyasha stared at her with his mouth open. As she sucked the ice cream off of her hand, he couldn't even find the strength to look away. He wanted to, but he couldn't help it as her tongue bathed her sticky fingers. He'd never wanted anyone so much before in his life.

"S-, so h-, how's life?" he blurted out, trying anything to get the image of her licking various parts of his body in the same manner, out of his mind.

"Not so bad," she sighed. "How's life for you?" she asked as she found another stream of ice cream.

"_Hard_," he said, without thinking. She looked at him with an eyebrow cocked. "Oh, uh, I mean, with classes and stuff." He bit the inside of his lip for his stupidity. Surely, she was regretting this date by now.

"You know, I'm really enjoying this," she sighed into the cool night air.

Inuyasha looked at her confused. "The ice cream or the date?"

"Both," she giggled. He smiled; what a relief.

"Hey, so I know we were supposed to end the date at the diner, but I just don't feel comfortable with you walking home alone."

"What? You think I can't take care of myself?" she mocked, getting into a fighting stance after downing the rest of her cone.

"Oh, you wanna fight?" he said, loving the idea of squaring off with her, just to be able to touch her. They walked off the park sidewalk and into the soft grass, arms at the ready. "You sure you can handle everything I've got?"

"Oh, the puppy likes to talk dirty, huh?" she teased. "Well, I'm not afraid of some doggie ears and paws," she said, stuck her tongue out at him and darted behind a tree.

"I'm no puppy," he growled as he ran after her. Every time he would get close enough to touch her, somehow, she'd slip away, giving him a teasing smile.

He caught on to her tactics rather quickly, and as she rounded one of the trees, he jumped on her, sending them both to the ground. He managed to flip them in time and she landed on top of him with an "oomph." Both breathing heavy from the chase, Kagome couldn't help herself as she leaned down and brushed her lips against his cheek, for a quick kiss. His eyes went wide and she sat back, worried.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." He grabbed her hand before she could cover the blush that tinted her cheeks.

"You missed," he said, pointing at his lips. His hand still on her wrist, he tugged her forward until their faces were only inches apart. She could feel his hot breath on her skin. Inuyasha noted how she shivered and put both arms around her, in a warm embrace. "Are you cold?" he asked.

"No, just," she started, but he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, cutting her off. She pulled away after a minute and looked at him. His eyes were still shut and he had a dopey grin on his face. She couldn't resist as she kissed him once more. Then, she stood, pulling him with her.

Inuyasha was numb. He didn't even register the fact that they were walking back to her apartment, hand in hand. Once they were at the door, he was brought back to reality. She stopped on the doorstep and turned to him. Of course, he had no intentions of going in to her apartment, but it seemed too soon to say goodnight.

"Well, this is it," she said, motioning toward her building.

"Oh, okay," he said, trying to stall her so that he could stay with her longer.

She fiddled with the keys in her fingers and smiled at him. "I had a great time," she said.

"Me too," he agreed as he recalled the feel of her soft lips against his.

She noted the dopey grin and took a step down. He blinked out of his daydream and took a step up. With the height difference, they were about even now. He looked deep into her chocolate eyes and smiled.

"I want to see you again."

She nudged his shoulder. "You see me every time you come into the diner."

"Yeah, but when you're working, I can't do this," he said, leaning in to taste her once more. He wanted to stand forever this way, if he could. He put his hand on the small of her back and held her closer to him. His heart was pounding in his whole body and he wondered if she could feel it; it was because of her touch that it was racing.

Kagome pulled out of the embrace in a pure panic. She was quickly falling for this hanyou and she didn't want to. She could risk getting attached to him, or worse, him getting attached to her. She didn't want him to have to deal with the loss of another person in his life. It just wasn't fair.

She backed away from him and smiled, trying to cover up for pulling away. He stared at her confused and hurt.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I just, um," she tried. She couldn't think of a legitimate reason without telling him _everything._

"It's okay. I understand," he said, suddenly his voice sounded more angry than hurt. Maybe she wasn't any different than everyone else, he thought. Maybe kissing him repulsed her. "I'm sorry. I should've realized that you didn't want to kiss me."

"No, no!" she shouted as he turned around to leave. "That was my favorite part of the date." She quickly covered her mouth out of embarrassment of revealing such a personal thought.

"Really?" he said, his voice full of uncertainty.

She trotted down the sidewalk and threw her arms around his neck, pulling his lips toward hers; one hand on the back of his neck, the other slowly tracing its way up to his delicious white ears. She found the appendage and rubbed it, delighted at the instant purr-like sound that he started to make. Just one simple touch and he was purring. What a turn-on, she thought and smiled into the kiss.

"Wow," he breathed. "I've never been kissed this much in my life." He grinned at her and pressed his forehead against hers.

"Why'd it take you so long to ask me out?" she said, catching him off guard.

"Oh, well, I, uh, I guess I didn't think you'd ever say yes," he admitted.

She laughed. "I've been waiting since the first day you walked into the diner."

"You're lying."

She put up her hands in defense. "No, I'm not. Every time I saw those ears I thought, 'Man, I gotta have em!'"

They laughed together and locked fingers. He cleared his throat and asked a question that he wasn't sure how she'd answer.

"I would never expect anything on a first date, okay?" She nodded, catching up with the abrupt change of subject. "I'd never even ask to come into your apartment." She nodded again. "But, I really need to pee," he said, squeezing his knees together and bobbing up and down like a little kid in line for the restroom.

"Stupid, of course you can come up to pee," she slapped his arm. She took him by the hand and led him into the building and into the elevator. She pressed the 7 button and waited until the doors closed before she kissed him gently on the cheek and then rested her cheek on his shoulder. He sighed, completely content with the idea of spending the rest of his life with her and never leaving her side again.

On the 7th floor, she led him down the hall to her door, 708, and put the key in. Inuyasha's ears swiveled; he could hear hushed voices inside her apartment. He put an arm across the doorway to stop her from entering.

"There's someone inside," he warned.

"Of course there is," she pushed his arm down. "My roommate, Sango." She pushed the door open and a half-dressed Miroku jumped up from the couch and ran to the bathroom. Sango peeped up from the couch as well, covering her obvious bareness with her shirt.

"Oh! You guys are back so soon! Miroku and I were just, uh, we were just…"

"We were just enjoying each other's company," Miroku finished for her. He walked from the bathroom, buttoning his jeans on the way.

"I'm sure," Inuyasha smirked. He looked at Kagome, who was standing with her mouth open in shock. "Can I pee now?" he asked.

She blinked a few times and then turned to him. "Yeah, it's over here," she said, pointing and walking. When she got to the door, she pulled him into the bathroom."

"I don't think I know you well enough to pee while you're in here," Inuyasha said sheepishly.

She looked at him with a sly grin and a mad look in her eyes; he shrunk back a little, worried. "Can you believe what we interrupted?" she mused.

"He's wanted her just as long as I've wanted you," Inuyasha said.

She leaned against the counter biting her lip, deep in thought. "Well, go ahead and pee. I'm not stopping you," she said, mid-thought.

He looked at her, mouth open. How could he just 'whip it out' with her standing right there? He imagined things between them a little slower than that. To be exact, he pictured a dimly lit room, her basking gracefully on the bed, wearing nothing but a smile. And him tasting every inch of her and pleasing her for hours and hours, and only stopping when their muscles give out and refuse to function.

Kagome snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Inuyasha. His eyes were glazed over and he had that stupid grin on his face. She tiptoed up beside him and pressed her body into his side.

"Care to tell me what you're thinking about?" she whispered in a husky voice, trying to allure him back into reality. Visions of her naked body danced in his thoughts until a sexy voice brought him back. He glanced down at Kagome, who was currently up against him.

He rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, it's nothing you need to know about just yet."

Thankfully, she left the room and let him relieve himself. When he emerged from the bathroom, he kissed Kagome goodnight and dragged Miroku from the nicely furnished apartment by his shirt collar. Once they were on the street, Inuyasha felt it was safe to let go.

"Dude, why'd you do that?" Miroku said, rubbing his neck where the shirt had rubbed his skin.

"Do what?"

"You yanked me out of their place like a little kid. What the hell?" He wasn't really angry; he knew he'd get another chance to be in their apartment as soon as Inuyasha and Kagome went on another date.

"You better not treat Sango like one of your conquests. She's not going to take that; she'll hunt you down and kick your ass if you hurt her," he said, taking a side-glance at his best friend.

"I know, I know. I never wanted anyone as much as I want her," Miroku sighed, looking up at the sky, but not expecting to see the stars through the thick smog of the city. "I don't want her to be _just another conquest_. I want more than that with her. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I do," Inuyasha said wistfully. They had only had one date, but spending time with Kagome felt so natural to him. He wanted to spend _all _of his time with her. He felt strangled when he couldn't be near her. Would he ever tell Miroku any of this? _Never._

Kagome leaned against the kitchen counter and eyed her best friend suspiciously. "So, should I go on assumption and disinfect the couch or are you going to tell me exactly what happened?"

Sango thumbed a smudge off of the bathroom mirror, blushing and avoiding the question. There wasn't really anything to talk about, right? "Nothing happened," she tried to convince.

"Oh, so if I was caught in an empty apartment with Inuyasha and neither of us was wearing shirts, you would call that nothing?"

"No, I would nag you incessantly until you fess up and tell me everything that happened," she sighed, admitting defeat.

"And that's precisely what I plan on doing until you talk!" Kagome mocked.

"Fine, fine. I was just sitting on the couch watching TV when the doorbell rang, okay?"

"Yeah, I'm following," she rolled her eyes.

"So I opened it and Miroku was there, leaning on the door and grinning at me with that sexy grin. Ugh, you know the one. He said he was completely bored and I invited him in to watch TV with me. We were sitting on the couch for about ten minutes, nothing was happening; we were just watching. Then, out of nowhere, he reached across the couch and grabbed my hand and pulled me over. I couldn't even ask him what the hell he was doing, because he just grabbed me and started kissing me. I mean, what was I supposed to do? Ignore him? No, so I just kissed him back. Things got a little hot and heavy, and then you two walked in."

"That doesn't sound like 'nothing' to me. What are you going to do if he comes over again and I'm not here to supervise? I bet you want to have sex with him. Admit it. You want to see him naked so bad that you probably get off at the sound of his name. Look at you! You're blushing. You can't even deny it!" she ranted.

The entire time, Sango was sinking farther and farther in her seat. Her best friend knew her better than anyone. There was _no way_ she was ever going to hide her feelings for Miroku. The only way she'd get out of the hot seat, was if she turned it on Kagome.

"And what about you?" she countered.

Immediately, Kagome's smile slid off her face and she pointed to herself. "What _about_ me?"

"Aren't you going to tell me what happened on your date?"

"Maybe I won't," Kagome faked hurt.

"Maybe," Sango said, standing up and walking toward her, "I'll just have to tickle you until you tell me. _Or_ until you pee your pants." She gave her friend a second head start before she darted after her, with intent to torture.

Kagome leapt over and cleared the couch on her way to the bathroom. Once in, she jumped into the shower and shut the curtain, even though the thin plastic would hardly ward off Sango. True to her nature, Sango ripped open the curtain and turned on the cold water, trapping Kagome in the process.

They both screamed in unison under the steady stream of frigid water. It was mere moments later that the girls were startled by the sound of a loud pounding. They both climbed from the tub and cautiously walked toward the noise.

"Kagome!" they heard Inuyasha scream.

"_Move Inuyasha_!" Miroku growled. "If something's happened to them, you're not going to help any by yelling at the door. Sango, I'm coming for you," he shouted before kicking the door in. The boys ran in, alert and ready for combat.

All four froze.

Realizing their current wear was see-through or stuck, skin-tight, Kagome covered herself with her hands. "What the hell are you two doing?" she screeched.

"I, uh," Inuyasha said, his hands snapping up to cover his eyes.

"I left my jacket here and when we got to the door, we heard you both scream. Naturally, we thought you were in trouble. We broke down the door to come and save you," Miroku said, turning around. The motion surprised Sango, as she figured his eyes would be glued on her soaked t-shirt. Sango winked at Kagome and motioned for her to follow her into the kitchen.

"You two stay right there. Move and die!" she warned the boys. She ran into the kitchen, Kagome right behind her, and grabbed a pitcher and started filling it with cold water. "Get one for Inuyasha," she whispered.

"You're so evil," Kagome giggled as Sango made devil horns with her fingers in her hair.

Silently, they snuck back into the room.

"Where'd they go?" Miroku asked Inuyasha, who's hands were still over his eyes. Miroku had resigned to pulling his collar up to his eyes.

"Wait," Inuyasha said, his ears flicking around the room and stilling where the girls were standing.

"_Damn it!_" Sango mouthed to Kagome. She put up three fingers and counted down. _Three, two, ONE!_ Both girls threw their pitchers of water at each respective boy. Miroku stood still, not expecting the icy water that was coming his way. It hit and drenched his entire front. His eyes shot open, looking for the source.

As soon as the water left Kagome's pitcher, Inuyasha did a front flip over the girl and landed behind her, leaving the water to splash on the floor. Kagome blinked, not believing what she had just seen. Before she could even move, two muscular arms wrapped around her, trapping her arms at her sides.

"Drop it," he growled playfully.

"I surrender," she laughed, trying to put her hands in the air, after letting the pitcher fall to the floor.

"Don't do it, Miroku! Stop!"

Miroku was closing in on Sango, who was backed into a corner. His hands were releasing relentless torture on her sensitive sides. She wailed as he dug his fingers faster into her skin, tickling her.

"Please!" she gasped.

"Say it!" he shouted. "Say 'Miroku you're the sexiest man I've ever seen.'" He grinned devilishly and worked his way up and down her sides.

"Miroku," she rasped, "you're the-."

"Never give in, Sango!" Kagome shouted from across the room, still imprisoned in Inuyasha's vice grip.

"Oh, it's like that, is it?" Inuyasha said into her ear. He dragged her over to the couch and wrestled her down on to it, tickling behind her knees and up the inside of her thighs.

"You're…getting…awfully…personal," she gasped between laughs.

"Miroku," Inuyasha hollered across the apartment, "let's tie them up and tickle their feet!"

"NO!" the girls screamed in unison.

"Do you surrender then?" Inuyasha teased.

Kagome, trying to catch her breath, bit her lip in defiance.

"Silence, huh? Well, I could do this all night long," he laughed, digging his fingers into her thighs rapidly.

She squealed and squirmed, and then finally, she gave up. "Inu-, Inuyasha! I surrender!"

He grinned triumphantly as Sango tried to pout in protest, finding it hard to do in her current situation. She looked back at Miroku, who was determined to hear those words.

"Miroku!" she squeaked. "You're the se-, sexiest man I've ever se-, seen!" Immediately, his fingers stilled and he walked into the kitchen.

"You girls are exhausting," he said, returning with a glass of water, that he was sipping. "Honestly, I thought this was just a normal, routine damsel-in-distress situation."

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	3. Chapter 3

Everlasting Love : Saving the girls Everlasting Love Saving the girls

"You're stupid if you think we'd ever need _your_ help," Sango sneered, bumping his elbow so that the water in his cup sloshed out and down his already soaked shirt.

"Inuyasha?"

"Yes, Kagome?" Inuyasha looked down into her big brown eyes.

"Why are you still on top of me?" she giggled.

"I'm not getting up until you agree to go on another date with me," he said, much to everyone's surprise, including his own. He fought down the embarrassment of his current situation, focusing his mind on her beautiful face instead of his position on top of her.

"Okay," she grinned. He stood, pulling her with him, and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Come on, Romeo," he said as he pulled Miroku by the collar of his shirt.

"Who's Romeo?" he asked.

"You've never heard of Romeo and Juliet?" Inuyasha asked in amazement, all while pulling him into the hallway. "Good night ladies. Don't hesitate to call if you want a rematch."

Kagome looked at the empty doorway, already missing Inuyasha's presence, and then at Sango, who was leaning on the counter with a quizzical look on her face.

"Who's Romeo and Juliet?" she asked.

Kagome shrugged and scampered over to her computer to look it up. After reading a few articles, she turned to Sango.

"It's an American love story, well, a tragedy. It's a play by William Shakespeare," Kagome said.

"So, Inuyasha's a book worm, huh?" Sango said, licking the ice cream off the spoon she was dipping into the carton.

"I guess so," Kagome smiled sheepishly. How perfect!

"Whoa baby!" Kagome slipped by the booth again, blushing at the catcalls that were directed at her. Sango brushed by her and stopped at the table.

"Here's your food," she said as she dropped the tray none-too-gently on the table and turned around. A hand on her behind stopped her in her tracks. In less time than a blink, she had the wrist of the offending hand twisted into an awkward position. "Do that again and you'll have to sip your fried chicken through a crazy straw," she growled to the wincing guy.

"Just send your friend back over here and we'll leave you alone," another said. Sango looked at him with disgust.

"She's not someone who you can just _summon_ to your side whenever you please."

"I'm sorry for my friends behavior, but I'd honestly just like to talk to her. No games. I promise," he held his hand to his heart. Sango gave him the once over. He had sapphire blue eyes and long, brown hair that was pulled into a ponytail at the back of his head. He was wearing a track suit, one with the logos from the school that Miroku and Inuyasha were currently attending.

"I'll tell her, but don't guarantee that she'll come over here." She turned around and muttered, "You're not good enough for her any way." She felt eyes on the back of her head and turned around to glare at him. _So he heard me_, she thought. _Good_.

She walked over to where Kagome was hiding behind the register. "I hate to do this to you, but one of those guys wants to talk to you."

"What? Why me?" she asked.

"I don't know, but I told him that you probably wouldn't."

"They probably won't leave until I go over there. I'll be right back," Kagome sighed as she started for the table. She stopped, hands on hips, and glared down at them. "Can I help you?"

"Why yes, my beautiful lady," the one with the ponytail said, making a grab for her hand and kissing it gently. Kagome felt a hot heat rise in her cheeks. Had this guy not been such a sleaze, he would have actually been charming. "I was wondering if I could have your phone number."

"I just don't give away my number to complete strangers," she glowered.

"How much do you want for it?" he chuckled. "Oh, and my name's Kouga. I'm a wolf demon and the leader of this pack of animals," he motioned to the other guys at the table, who all began to howl.

"It's not for sale. So please finish your dinners and leave." Kagome moved to walk away, but found a hand on her wrist, stopping her escape.

Sango, the moment Kagome stepped away, whipped open her cell phone and sent a text message to Miroku's and Inuyasha's cell phones.

_Truble. Need U!_

As Kagome tried to move from the table, she was pulled back against it, hard, by her wrist.

"I don't think I'm being very clear," Kouga said, tightening his grip. His friends stopped their bantering to watch the exchange. "I asked for your number, _Miss_, and I expect to have it."

"We don't always get what we want," Kagome said through gritted teeth, trying desperately to rip her arm from his grasp.

"Oh, but I do," he leered. Kouga stepped forward, bringing Kagome with him, toward the door. "I just want to talk to you in private," he tried to convince her.

"I don't _want_ to talk to _you_. Nothing you could possibly say would make me want to," she said, pulling against him. They were almost at the door when Inuyasha busted in, half dressed.

Shirtless, his Adidas track pants were hanging low on his hips, and his hair was a strewn. He had a look of concern and mild panic. Miroku slid through the door behind him, panting.

"We were at the gym. What's wrong?" Inuyasha asked before he glanced around, his eyes landing on Kouga's hand. "What are you doing?" he asked him.

"I was just about to have a chat with this lovely, young lady. So, if you'll excuse us," Kouga said, trying to push past him.

"Get your damn hands off her!" Inuyasha shouted, causing everyone in the diner to look up and stare.

"There's no need to raise your voice," Kouga growled.

"There _is_ a need to rip your throat out, though," Inuyasha bit out. "Let go of her now."

"What claim can you make to her?" Kouga mocked, looking back at his buddies who were watching with mild amusement.

"She's not just someone you can claim," Sango shouted from behind Miroku.

"I'm his girlfriend," Kagome said, finally wrenching her wrist from his grasp. She walked until she was safely behind Inuyasha and wrapped her arms around his bare mid-section.

"You're his _what_? That's not possible. He's not good enough for you!" Kouga ranted, throwing up his hands for emphasis.

Kagome had had enough. Before Inuyasha could even ball his fist, Kagome had stepped in front of him, her arm back. She swung her fist forward and it collided with Kouga's right cheek, knocking him to the floor. Kagome looked down at him and laughed.

"Get out of here," Sango hollered, trying to stifle her laughing.

As Kouga and his gang bumbled out of the diner, Inuyasha turned Kagome around to face him.

"My girlfriend, huh?"

"Uh, I mean, yeah, if that's okay with you," she blushed.

"You're not going to punch me if I try to kiss you are you?" he teased.

"I might just!" she threatened.

"Fine, then I won't risk it," he said as he started to walk to his usual booth. Her jaw dropped and when he looked over his shoulder at her, he couldn't help but laugh. "Calm down," he said, walking back to her. "I was just joking." He kissed her, full on the mouth, loving every second of contact he had with her skin. She giggled into his lips and then looked down at his naked stomach. Her breath caught when she saw his creamy skin taut over his firm muscles. She ran her fingers over his washboard abs and stopped at the top of his gym pants.

"You didn't even bother to get dressed to come see me?" she fake-pouted. "Don't I mean enough to you for you to take the time to put some clothes on?"

He pulled her forehead to his and looked her straight in the eyes, making sure he had her full attention, before answering. "Baby, I'd much rather be spending my time with you naked than any other way."

For the second time that night, her jaw dropped.

"Anyways," Sango said loudly, obviously overhearing the last comment and deciding that there was no room for such conversation in such a public place. She started toward the two, but stopped and turned toward Miroku. "Hands!" she said and he held them straight up, like a prisoner at gunpoint, and followed her to the booth.

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	4. Chapter 4

Everlasting Love : Down Hill Everlasting Love Down Hill

Kagome shot up in her bed, her chest heaving in an effort to breathe. She tried to stand to walk to her bedroom door, but as soon as she was on her feet, the room began to spin and she fell to her knees with a thud. Dizzily, she crawled to the door and tugged it open, crawling toward Sango's bedroom.

"Sango!" she gasped. "Sango, help!"

No avail. She was still too far away for her best friend to hear her wheezing pleas for help. Kagome balled her hand into a fist and began to pound on the wall, trying desperately to wake her.

"Kagome?" Sango mumbled, only half awake. Kagome's pants were enough to bring her to full consciousness. "KAGOME!" she shouted as she ran past her friend and to the bathroom. She whipped open the medicine cabinet and fingered her way through various bottles until she found a small orange one with a white cap. She yanked off the top and shook out two of the tiny blue pills, rushing to her friend's side with a cup of water.

As soon as she skidded to a halt near Kagome, she opened her mouth and shoved the blue pills in. Kagome wearily reached for the water and she helped her down enough of it to swallow the pills. They sat for a minute, Kagome's head in Sango's lap, both hearts racing. Sango looked down at her best friend, tears overflowing and running down her cheeks.

"Kagome, this is the fourth time in the last two weeks that this has happened." She hugged her tightly. "Isn't there anything the doctors can do?"

"No," she groaned, the pills instantly making her sleepy.

"I don't want to lose you this way, Kagome. I can't stand this. It kills me to see you in such pain. And what about Inuyasha? You've cancelled every date with him and haven't even told him why. You just blow him off. Eventually, he's going to start looking for answers." Sango talked to Kagome's sleeping form.

It'd seemed like so long ago when they had had that water match with the boys, what was really only 2 months. Inuyasha and Kagome had been going so strong: dates every few days or so, one was always at the other's apartment. They were inseparable. It was disgusting really. It was that cutesy, I-can't-stand-to-be-without-you crap that everyone wants in a relationship but denies.

But, once her condition worsened, she started canceling dates with him, feeding him lies out of nowhere, anything, to avoid telling him the truth. Her explanation to why she wasn't being honest when Sango would question it was that Inuyasha had already dealt with enough death in his life and that it wasn't fair to him to lose another person.

Sango shook her head. He was going to find out and delaying such vital information would be as detrimental to his well-being as her death would. But the more she thought about their relationship the more she realized that they were truly a perfect match.

That is, until recently. Kagome's condition worsened and was now affecting her breathing. Most of the time, it was at night, when her brain was in a relaxed state. To put it bluntly, her brain was forgetting about other necessities her body needed to stay alive. Recently, she'd been forgetting to eat, because her mind wasn't letting her body tell her it was hungry.

And at night, she would forget to breathe for the same reasons. It was a frightening condition of her illness that was wearing Sango to the core. She couldn't stand waking up to her friends dire calls for help or seeing Kagome almost pass out from dehydration and starvation.

Sango pulled her arms tighter around her friend's weak body, and finally admitted to herself. Her best friend was dying and there was nothing she could do about it.

_Her voicemail_. Inuyasha threw down his phone and wrinkled his brow in disgust. Kagome had been like a second oxygen for him in the last two months, having her scent around him constantly. Then, out of nowhere, she just dropped off the face of the earth. She wasn't at work. She wouldn't return his calls and had cancelled any and every opportunity he had to see her. He growled to himself as he searched the fridge for a coke.

"Something the matter, friend?" Miroku asked from the couch.

"You know what's wrong with me," he growled again. This was maddeningly unhelpful.

"Dude, maybe she just got sick of you or something." Miroku waved off the comment and counted to three in his head, then ducked. Sure enough, a crinkled can of cola was sent flying from the kitchen.

"She's not sick of me," he shouted. Inuyasha stomped his way over to the couch and sat down in a huff. "Has Sango said anything about her?"

"Now that you mention it, every time I bring it up, she changes the subject," Miroku pondered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Wait. And you've never pressed the matter? You never thought 'Hey, maybe I could help my best friend out and investigate a little?'"

"I didn't want to make her mad and risk her ignoring me like Kagome's doing to you."

Inuyasha clenched his fists and fought down the urge to tackle his best friend and smother him with anything in reach. There just had to be some way to get Kagome to see him. He had to find out what he did to make her ignore him this way. He felt like he was dying without her. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over to Miroku.

"She'll come around. Maybe she's just scared at how great you two are for each other. She needs you just as much as you need her. It'll work out. I promise it will."

"You think so?" Inuyasha asked, hoping his dopey friend had something good to say for once.

"I promise it will," Miroku repeated.

After a few days and several _dozen_ phone calls, Inuyasha's luck seemed to turn.

"Kagome! Please talk to me," he shouted into the phone. He heard a sniffle and a cough, and knew she was listening. "Kagome, I know you can hear me. I'm just trying to understand why you won't talk to me. I just, I just want to be near you. I want to be with you. Please, Kagome"

"Inuyasha," he heard a soft voice.

"Kagome! Oh, Kagome," Inuyasha sighed, grabbing his chest. He felt like it would burst from his chest. _Kagome withdrawal_, he thought.

"Inuyasha," she said again. "I can't see you anymore."

"What?" He was hoping he had just gone retarded for a minute.

"It's over, Inuyasha." Her voice was hard, like she was forcing herself to be harsh.

"No, no, Kagome no," he pleaded.

"Bye." _Click_.

"Hello? Damn it! Miroku!" Inuyasha shouted while reaching for his jacket. "Miroku, I'll be back, _maybe_."

"What?" Miroku asked from somewhere in the apartment. "Wait, what did you say?" he said, rushing toward the door to block his friend.

"Kagome just broke up with me. I need to see her. I've got to talk to her."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" he said, now completely blocking the door.

"Yeah, I'm sure, now get out of my way before I use my demon muscles to do it myself," he threatened.

"Inuyasha," Miroku tried again.

"You know something, don't you?" Inuyasha pointed a clawed finger at him, accusingly. He grabbed Miroku by his shirt and lifted him so that his toes were barely touching the floor. "Tell me. Why is she doing this? What do you know?" he growled.

"Inuyasha, put me down, _now_," Miroku said through clenched teeth. Once on the floor, he straightened his shirt and glared at his best friend. "I already told you. I don't know anything. Maybe she just doesn't see the relationship going any further. Can't you accept that?"

"No. I can't accept that. I _refuse _to accept that. Miroku, haven't you ever had that gut feeling? That feeling that says 'She's the one you're gonna spend the rest of your life with.' I get that every time I'm near, with, or even thinking about Kagome. I love her, dude. How can you expect me to give up just like that? I can't. I won't. I need her. I love her."

Miroku sighed. He knew his friend was in deep. He just didn't realize _how_ deep. And boy was he _deep_. He reached for his jacket and as he was slipping an arm through the sleeve, he nodded his consent and waited for Inuyasha to go ahead of him.

They walked to the girls' apartment in silence; Inuyasha thinking about what he was going to say to Kagome and Miroku prepping himself for the upcoming onslaught. Once inside the building, Inuyasha leapt the flights of stairs, leaving Miroku to jog them at a human's pace.

Inuyasha stared at Kagome's apartment door for a whole minute before he got the nerve to knock. He could hear hushed voices and the soft padded footsteps of someone coming closer. He ducked away from the peep-hole so that they would have to open it to look.

To his luck, Kagome opened the door and walked into the hall. Inuyasha's stomach dropped in a troubling way when he saw her withering form before him. His instincts told him to wrap his arms around her and hold her until she was better.

As soon as she saw him, she backed into the apartment and tried to shut the door. Inuyasha wedged his foot between the door and its frame so she couldn't close it completely.

"Kagome, please, tell me what's wrong," he begged as he tried to squeeze his way into the apartment.

She pushed against the door, hoping that it would not only shut him out of the apartment, but out of her life as well. "Go away," she heaved. She was getting tired from standing and exerting herself. She put her whole body into closing the door.

"I'm not leaving so you might as well just let me in," he stated firmly. He pulled his foot from between the door and used both hands to push it open. But before he could get a good grip, she had closed the door enough, and had locked it. She sank to the floor, exhausted and weak. Still breathing heavily, she started to crawl away, but stopped when she heard him whimper.

On the other side of the door, Inuyasha had also sunk to the floor, but not from fatigue. He rested his forehead on the door and whimpered again. "I don't understand," he said, his voice thick with the tears he refused to let fall.

Kagome let her head fall back against the door and sighed. "I'm sorry," she whispered, knowing he would hear her.

When he heard her words, he knew that there was reason behind all this. There was something underlying, bubbling beneath the surface, and he was determined to find out. She wasn't just dumping him because she didn't see their relationship going anywhere. There was something else.

Sango had heard a commotion right after she had walked into the bathroom. When she came out, Kagome was sitting against the door. And when Kagome saw her, she put her fingers to her lips to tell her to keep quiet. Sango walked over, confused as to why she had to be quiet. She looked through the peep-hole and shook her head.

"Enough," she said, her voice loud and angry. Kagome looked up at her in frustration. "I said enough. Enough is enough. You will get up and tell that boy right now. Can't you see it, Kagome? He loves you. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure it out, either. You can't keep doing this to him. You need to tell him everything." Sango pulled Kagome by the wrists, dragging her across the floor until she was far enough away to open the door. She caught Inuyasha by surprise and he tumbled into the room, landing only a few inches in front of Kagome.

"Kagome!" he said, righting himself and pulling her bony figure into his arms, squeezing her as close to his body as he could and burying his face in the crook of her neck. Her body went stiff against his and she struggled to get out of his grasp, rather ineffectively.

"Let me go!" she struggled. She felt her body beginning to tighten, her airways constricting. Inuyasha's embrace was enough to make her lose all concentration on the grip she had in her mind. Her breathing was beginning to get ragged, and she used all of the strength she had left to push her body away from his and crawl toward the bathroom.

"_Shit_," Sango cursed as she darted around Kagome and into the bathroom to get the pills. "Inuyasha! Get me some water. Hurry!"

When Sango got back to Kagome, she was moving into convulsions in her bodies attempt to breathe. Tears in her eyes, Sango crushed the tiny pills between her fingers and dropped the dust into her best friend's mouth. Thankfully, Inuyasha had obeyed his orders and was waiting nearby with a cup in his hand, and a horror-stricken look on his face.

"Don't just stand there! Give me the water!" she shouted at him. He sank to his knees in front of the girl who stole his heart, bewildered at what was taking place, before the panic struck.

"What's happening to her? How can I help her? What can I do? What's wrong with her?" All his thoughts were tumbling from his mouth. He watched Kagome's chest, counting her breaths, watching as they became slower. He lurched forward and grabbed her hand, the only thing he _could_ do. "Please," he cried, his tears finally falling as her breathing came to a stop. "NO!" he screamed, pulling on the hand he had, and sending Kagome's body into his arms.

Sango raced for the phone and dialed the doctor's emergency number. She remembered the warning perfectly. The doctor had told them both that a time would come when the pills would stop working. She just didn't expect it to be so soon. With shaking fingers, she dialed again and relayed the news to the doctor. He gave her the instructions she needed and the told her to bring Kagome in immediately.

She hung up and turned to Inuyasha, who had paled considerably, where he stood, holding Kagome.

"Put her down and use CPR until she's breathing again," she said, her voice calm and steady.

"What's happening to her, Sango? Tell me why this is happening," he said as he put her down gently and began to put pressure on her diaphragm and then breathed into her mouth. Only seconds after his ministrations, Kagome sat up, sputtering for the air around her and filling her lungs. She fell back into Inuyasha's waiting arms, unconscious, but still breathing.

"We need to get to the hospital," was all Sango said before she handed Inuyasha a blanket and put her coat on. As they were walking out, Miroku got to the door, panting heavily.

"What's going on?" he asked, glancing at his best friend, who was in a mild panic.

"Shut up and drive," Sango said, steering him toward the stairs.

Inuyasha sat with his head in his hands, in the waiting room, for hours. Every time he tried to go near the room, a doctor or a nurse would shoo him away and tell him that she's fine.

"How can I believe she's fine?" he muttered to himself. _If she was fine_, he reasoned, _she wouldn't be in the freaking hospital_.

He heard soft footsteps coming toward him and looked up in time to see a petite nurse come into the waiting room.

"Are you Inuyasha?" she asked, her voice trembling a bit as he nodded and stood, a good head taller than her.

"Yes. What is it? Did something happen to Kagome? Please tell me what's going on," he broke down in front of her.

"Sir," she said a bit sternly, her one word having the same effect as a slap in the face. "We need you to come to the nurse's station. The doctor would like to have a word with you."

He followed the white-clad nurse to the nurse's station, where a doctor was waiting for him.

"You must be Inuyasha," the doctor said, offering his hand for him to shake. Politely, Inuyasha shook his hand and nodded. "Okay, well, down to business. I'm assuming that you're Miss Higurashi's boyfriend. So you must know of her condition."

"No, I don't know anything. I've been kept in the dark about this whole thing. What's wrong with her? Please, tell me."

"Her mother is out of the country on a family vacation. Since she's away, you're the one left with the responsibility of deciding funeral options."

Before the doctor could say another word, Inuyasha paled and passed out.

**Okay, I forgot to leave you all a note last time, and I barely got any comments. It made me think that you weren't into my story anymore. And trust me, no one wants to feel like that.**

**And since I'm so frikin busy, I've only had the time to put a few sentences together for you as an update. Please forgive me. The next time I update... it'll be HUGE! So...in return...I expect some dozen responses if you want that huge update...(which you're going to get anyway)... Lol...**

Lots of love to my readers!!

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	5. Chapter 5

Everlasting Love : Enduring battle Everlasting Love Enduring battle

His senses were quickly coming back to him and his ears twitched with the sounds of people buzzing around.

Stop. Did he really pass out, right there, in the middle of the hospital?

WAIT! Did the doctor really say 'Kagome' and 'funeral' in the same sentence?

Inuyasha shot up from the hospital bed he had been placed in, his heart frantic. To his right, Miroku sat, looking tired.

"Bout time you regained conciousness," he said, stifling a yawn.

"Where's Kagome's doctor?" Inuyasha asked, tearing through the door and into the hall without waiting for an answer. With his sensitive ears, he followed the sound of the doctor's voice until he was standing in front of him. Eyes glistening with unshed tears, Inuyasha swallowed hard, trying to calm himself.

"Ah, young man. You're finally awake. You'll be glad to hear that your girlfriend is awake as well," the doctor beamed, motioning toward Kagome's door.

Inuyasha put a hand on the doctor's arm. "She's alive?" he choked.

"Oh heavens yes. It's procedure that we talk to the next of kin about such arrangements. And with her family out of town, out of the country actually, we were told to speak to you. But with the new treatments Kagome's getting, she could quite possibly live another year."

"What treatment? And what do you mean 'another year?'"

"You really don't know, do you?"

"I told you before," he nearly screamed. "She didn't tell me _anything_."

"I think maybe you and she need to talk. You may go see her." The doctor nudged him and walked away, leaving Inuyasha to gather his thoughts.

He was about to knock when he heard her faint voice talking to Sango. Better judgment told him not to eavesdrop, but his desire to find out what was going on drove him to stand beside the closed door and listen intently.

"Inuyasha's here?" Kagome asked.

"He held you in his arms the entire trip to the hospital and damn-near barked at anyone who tried to take you from him. They made him sit in the waiting room. And when the doctor went to talk to him about funeral arrangements, a standard procedure, Inuyasha passed out cold."

"_He passed out?_" Kagome tried to imagine the masculine Inuyasha fainting.

"Out cold. He just dropped to the floor, in all his doggie cuteness. If I hadn't felt so bad for him, I would have laughed until I puked."

The girls giggled a bit before Kagome put on a serious expression.

"Does he know?"

"I don't think so. He fainted before the doctor could tell him anything."

A sudden clearing of his throat, Inuyasha announced his presence to the girls.

"Oh man do I have to pee," Sango lied and rushed from the room.

"Sango!" Kagome exclaimed from her friend's sudden exit. Hesitantly, she turned her gaze to Inuyasha.

His piercing golden eyes made her swallow the thick lump in her throat. She watched as he stepped forward slowly, making his way to the side of her bed. He pulled a chair close and sat down.

From the moment he entered the room, all he could hear was his own heart beating loudly in his ears. He couldn't stand seeing her so weak. He wanted to take the tubes and wires and rip them to shreds, and then hold her until she was healthy, hoping that his mere touch would be enough to heal her.

Inuyasha sat down beside her and reached for her hand. Kagome felt paralyzed under his stare. He locked his fingers with hers, without ever breaking his eyes away. He brought her hand up to his face and nuzzled it with his cheek.

"I was so worried," he whispered. "I thought I lost you."

She stayed quiet while he rubbed her hand. Her skin felt like fire where their flesh met.

"Kagome," he said and she felt her barriers start to break. "I need to know what's going on."

Barriers crumbling.

"I need to know why you're dying."

Small bits of resistance were going up, but most fell with the barriers around her heart.

"I need to know so I can figure out how to save you," he said, kissing the hand he still had pressed to his cheek.

That was it. She couldn't take it anymore and she threw herself at him. Her arms squeezed, as tightly as she could, around his neck. They stayed that way for a long time before she sat back and adjusted her pillows so that she was sitting up.

And then she told him everything. Everything. And as Inuyasha started to cry for her, she put out her arm and coaxed him into them.

When the nurse's came to check on Kagome, they found her curled next to the 'adorable boy with puppy ears' in her hospital bed, with his arms securely around her.

**Okay, so it's not the super-long update I promised... but it's something, right? I've never been busier in my life and with finals and the end of the term coming up, I just don't have any time. So, for the sake of all my readers who can't live without an update, I bought a cheap journal and have been writing my updates in it instead and then transferring it to here. So when I'm in class "writing notes" I'm really writing Inuyasha fanfics... LOL... don't try that at home.**

**Thanks to sesshysgrl for all her fabulous updates... you made me laugh... #2,#3,#4...**

**And a big, whopping, huge thanks to my readers. Every time you add me to your favs., or comment, or rate... I feel that much better about writing these stories! **

**I love my readers!**

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	6. Chapter 6

He was lying in bed with nothing on when she came into the room. _Sexy Kagome_, he thought as she kneeled on the edge of the bed.

"Don't move," she said, her voice low and sultry. She moved her hands up and down her naked body, caressing all of the spots that Inuyasha, himself, wanted to touch. He could feel his body coming to life and the urge to move to her was getting greater.

"Come here," he growled. She immediately began to crawl on all fours toward him and he growled louder at the sight.

"Mmm," she grinned when she came up to his midsection and straddled his waist. "You are simply," she licked her lips, "delicious." She bent down and started placing open-mouthed kisses all over his chest.

Inuyasha smiled; his big, dopey grin similar to that of the one he had at the park that night after their first date. This had to be a dream, for if it wasn't, he had simply died and gone to Heaven.

He felt someone nudge his arm and he looked at Kagome. Both of her hands were on his chest. Someone nudged his arm again, this time, a little roughly.

"Sir," he heard. "Sir, please wake up."

Inuyasha blinked a few time and realized he was in a dimly lit hospital room. He glanced around and found that the voice and nudge he felt was from the petite nurse standing next to him.

"Sir, I need to change Miss Higurashi's IV," she said.

He checked on the angel in his arms before sliding out of the warm bed. He saw the nurse look down at his waist and then look away, eyes wide and blushing furiously.

"Shit," he hissed, grabbing a pillow and putting it in front of him.

The nurse giggled when she heard the bathroom door click shut. She smiled at the lucky girl in the hospital bed. To have a man that looks like _that_, react like _that_ to her; she was truly blessed.

When he had mini-Inu under control, Inuyasha emerged from the bathroom. He glanced back to Kagome, who was still out, and then walked into the hall to make a phone call. It rang a few times before Miroku picked up.

"What's up, dude. Kagome okay?"

"Yeah, she's getting her IV changed. She's still asleep," Inuyasha answered, rubbing his eyes to get the crust out of them.

"What's on your mind?" Miroku asked, knowing his friend all too well.

"You're a medical student, right?"

"You know the answer to that. Tell me what you're planning." He could just imagine Miroku resting his chin in his hand while he waited for an answer.

"You have access to one of the world's greatest medical libraries. You can help me find a cure for Kagome's illness. Tell me you'll help me, please Miroku." _There,_ he thought, _just drop the bomb and hope he goes for it._

"Only if you're there with me," Miroku countered.

"I'm already on my way," Inuyasha laughed into the phone and clicked it shut. When he walked back into the room, Kagome was awake and smiling at him groggily.

"Hi," she whispered.

"Hey, babe," he smiled back. When he walked over, she reached for his hand and pulled him in for a kiss.

"I thought you left," she sighed into his neck, as he climbed back in the bed with her.

"I have something I need to do," he said.

"What would that be?"

"I'm just meeting Miroku to do a little studying." He wasn't lying; he just wasn't telling her the study topic.

"When will you be back?"

"I'll be back later tonight. I promise," he kissed her temple.

At the medical library, Inuyasha pulled book after book and stacked them on a table in the back. Miroku, who had only four books, looked on in awe as Inuyasha rolled up his sleeves, cracked his knuckles and dug into the first of nearly a dozen books.

Mumbling incoherently under his breath, Inuyasha threw the book and grabbed the next one on the pile. This happened eleven more times, and when he was on his last book, he sighed and looked to his best friend.

"I can't find a damn thing in these stupid books."

"Got it!" Miroku said, shaking a fist in the air. Inuyasha leapt to his side, across the table.

"You found a cure?" he gasped.

Pushing him to arms-length away, Miroku gave his friend the once over. Inuyasha looked terrible. He probably hadn't eaten in days and Miroku was sure he smelled to the high heavens too.

"If there was a cure, Inuyasha, the doctor's would have found it. What I've been researching is _you_," Miroku stated.

"Me? Why the hell have you been researching me?" Inuyasha growled. He didn't have time for this. He needed to find a cure and he needed to find it now!

"Think about it dummy," Miroku rapped him on the head. "You have demon blood in you. It heals in a matter of hours. If there's a way to get Kagome's body to accept demon blood, her body will heal itself."

Inuyasha sat back, his bangs hiding his eyes from Miroku's view.

"What's wrong?"

"It'll never work," Inuyasha sighed. "Her body will reject the blood type because it's not even human."

"You're forgetting one major thing, my friend." Miroku's sly grin made Inuyasha cringe as he asked what he was talking about. Miroku cleared his throat, "Her body won't reject your blood if one major _act_ is involved." He waggled his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

"She'll never agree to it," Inuyasha said, flat out. "She will _never_ agree to that. She won't. There's just no way she'll ever say yes."

"Inuyasha," Miroku said sternly. "Put your hand on your coat pocket." He waited until Inuyasha did so before he continued. "You and I both know that you've been carrying that box in there for a while now. What makes you think she'll say no?"

"Dude, she dumped me when her illness got worse. If she wanted all of _that_, she would have just told me about it."

"Don't you get it? She didn't tell you because of how much you've already lost in your life. You've lost so many people and she didn't want to hurt you like that. She didn't want you to have someone else you cared about die. She didn't want your heart to break again." Miroku was practically yelling at his dense friend.

Inuyasha ran a hand over his face while he mulled Miroku's words around in his head. Maybe Kagome would say yes. Maybe Kagome would agree to it. If she did, then it was all up to him, Inuyasha, to save her life.

Three little words. As Kagome lay in her hospital bed, she thought about those three little words that had been bouncing through her thoughts since the day she met Inuyasha. _Love at first sight_, she thought. She knew she never believed in it before that boy walked into the diner. How could someone fall in love at first sight anyway? There was no way to tell if the person was a psycho or not! But, damn that Inuyasha, he just had to be perfect in every possible way: loyal to a fault, just shy enough to be adorable, and those ears. Kagome grinned. _His ears._

"What has you smiling, Miss Higurashi?" a nurse said, startling her from her delicious thoughts of running her tongue over every mouth-watering part of that hanyou.

"Oh," she giggled, "nothing in particular."

"Miss, I may not know you, but after seeing that boy in here, and the way he looks at you, it's easy to tell what has you smiling and _keeps_ you smiling, for that matter," the nurse put her hands on her hips in a matter-of-fact kind of way.

Kagome sat up a little. "You think so?"

"When I came in earlier to change your IV, he had you curled so close to his body, I wasn't sure if your spine had snapped or not! He'll make a great father one day," she smiled.

"Father?"

"Oh, my yes! He's so protective of you. Just think of how he'll be with his own children."

Kagome giggled at the thought of little Inuyasha's running around, ears and all. Then, suddenly, she was near tears.

"Miss! What's wrong?" the nurse said, putting a hand on Kagome's shoulder.

"I'll never get to see his children," she looked up as the tears leaked down her cheeks. "He's going to have them with someone else. I'm not even going to be alive."

Pulling her into a hug, the nurse shushed her tears. "I'm not so sure about that," she said knowingly. "I heard him outside the room, when he was on the phone. He left here to go to a medical library to find a cure for your disease. He sounded very determined and I'm sure he won't come back without one. Trust me when I say, he loves you and won't let you die."

Kagome just stared at her. "What?" she whispered.

"You heard me," the nurse laughed. "You'll be fine. I know you will."

Kagome threw herself into a hug with the nurse. "How can I ever thank you for everything you just said?"

"The next time that boyfriend of yours comes in, have him take his shirt off and then hit that little call button on your bed. That'll be thanks enough!" Both girls had a hearty laugh before Kagome settled in to try and get some more sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

About a week later, Kagome woke from one of her naps just as the sun was setting. Bright, gold eyes were glowing in the dimly lit hospital room.

"I have a surprise for you," Inuyasha whispered.

"Mmm, better than waking up and seeing you?"

"Yes, much," he grinned. He pulled her up into a sitting position and swung her legs out of bed. He gently lifted her and placed her in a wheel chair and handed her a duffle bag.

"Where are we going?" she puzzled, looking down at the bag in confusion.

"I'm breaking you out of this joint," he said, going to the door way and looking down the hall to make sure it was clear.

"You can't be serious." She was definitely wide awake now.

"Oh, I'm _very_ serious," he said, his head still poked out the door. "Alright, coast is clear." He wheeled the chair to the elevator and pushed the down button.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome hissed, her voice threatening to get louder. He quickly covered her mouth with one hand and continued to wheel her toward the elevators, knowing she was too weak to fight back. As soon as they were on the ground level and on their way out to his car, he let go of her mouth.

"I can't believe you just _stole_ me from the hospital," she seethed, punching him in the arm as he lifted her and placed her in the passenger seat.

"Relax, princess. They discharged you about an hour ago. I'm taking you home so I can cook you a nice dinner, to make up for the nasty food you've been eating here." He kissed her forehead and closed the door. She watched the mirrors as he walked around the car.

_Damn_, she thought. _I really missed watching him walk around. What a nice ass!_ She giggled to herself as he hoisted himself into the car and turned it on.

"What's got _you_ smiling?" he asked curiously. She shook her head and turned her gaze out the window, effectively dismissing his question while her mind focused on getting healthy enough to be able to rip his clothes off with her teeth.

Her smile remained for the _entire_ ride home.

"You call this a _nice_ dinner?" Kagome said, raising her eyebrows to the ramen noodles sitting before her.

"Yes," he slurped some noodles into his mouth, "I do. So, just eat it."

She giggled but complied, helping herself to the large bowl he so willingly shared.

"You know," he slurped again. "I don't share ramen with just anyone."

"Then why are you sharing it with me?" she smiled.

He reached out and wiped a drop of broth off her chin with his thumb and answered without much thought. "Because I love you."

They both froze, eyes wide. It seemed like an hour passed, neither breathing nor moving. Inuyasha cleared his throat, thunder through the seemingly endless silence.

"I, uh, I, well, I thought you should know," he said, matter-of-factly. He watched as Kagome stared at him, mouth opening and closing a few times, reminding him of a fish. He reached across the table and shut her mouth for her. "You don't have to say anything back. I know how you are with the 'L-word'."

Snapping out of her temporary paralysis, Kagome wrinkled her eyebrows together. "You love me?"

"Duh," he laughed, shrugging his shoulders when she shot him an indignant look. "Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer," he explained. She still said nothing; either too shocked or angry, Inuyasha couldn't tell. Instantly hurt by her lack of reaction, he went on. "I didn't stay at the hospital for a week with you for nothing. I spent every second sleeping by your side and helping you because of how I feel about you. If you meant nothing to me, I wouldn't have bothered. I can't stand to be without you. Don't you get that?" His tone had risen past annoyed and was bordering angry.

"I didn't mean to make you angry," she said, reaching for his hand and cupping it between hers.

"I'm not angry," he huffed, his face turning red in embarrassment.

"You don't think I know you well enough to know that something's eating away at you? You've been holding that in for a while now haven't you?"

"Holding what in?" he asked, his cheeks still puffed and red.

"That you love me."

"So what? Maybe I have. It's not like it's a secret. I thought you knew anyway."

"Hey!" she shouted, finally catching up with the conversation. "What do you mean 'How I am with the L-word'?"

"I'm not the only one that's been holding something in and letting it eat away at me," he smirked. "I know you're scared to tell me that you love me because you think you're going to die and that that would hurt me because I've already lost so many people in my life."

Kagome sat, mouth open. How could he know that? As if reading her mind, he answered.

"Miroku's dating Sango. She tells him stuff. He tells me stuff. It's just the natural order of things."

"I'm going to pummel her," Kagome muttered under her breath. Inuyasha caught it but said nothing about it.

"How's your ramen?" he asked, trying to start another conversation, just to clear the weirdness from the last one. When she smiled at him with a mouthful of noodles, Inuyasha let his mind wander a bit.

_Why didn't she say it back? Does she not feel the same way? I'll have to ask Miroku to ask Sango to ask her what she really feels. Gosh, that sounds so, so high school-ish. How old am I? Maybe I should just ask her myself. Is she really that scared to love me because she might die? Doesn't she know that being without her while she's alive is worse than her actually dying? _

Inuyasha discreetly put a hand on his chest, over his heart. _Does she know how much it hurts, physically hurts that she doesn't want to get close to me? It feels like my heart's being squeezed in an iron vice._ He shut his eyes as a wave of pain passed through his chest at the thought of her living without him; and another at the thought of him never being able to touch her skin or smell her hair.

"Are you okay?" she asked, breaking his painful thoughts.

He cleared his throat and nodded. "Do you mind if I take a walk. I just need some fresh air. This ramen is making my stomach a little upset," he lied.

"Sure," she said. She knew he was lying. He stood to get up and started to walk out. She got up to get him his jacket, and when she pulled it from its resting place on the back of a chair, a small, black, velvet box fell and skittered on the floor by her feet.

He stopped and turned slowly, eyes wide and heart stopped. He watched her bend down to pick it up and noted that he didn't hear her breathing. Her eyes were wide as she looked the box over. He wondered if the whole world was moving as slow as this moment seemed to. Her eyes widened a fraction when she lifted the lid slightly to get a glimpse of its contents.

Kagome took in the shiny silver band with just a single round diamond. It blinked at her in the light and she wondered if it fit her. She pulled the perfect ring from its pillow and slid it onto her finger.

How this girl had managed to bring him down, he had no idea. But she had him on his knees and he was in desperate need of air. Why had she tried on that damn ring? Why did she torment him so?

Inuyasha's gasp for air reminded Kagome that she had yet to breathe. She filled her lungs slowly, still gazing at the ring that fit perfectly on her finger.

He could feel the emotions tumbling together as he asked a thousand questions in his head that he couldn't voice. He was on the verge of tears, wanting to tell her everything in his head and heart, when she spoke.

"Is this for me?" she said without looking up from her hand.

He couldn't answer her. His words were gone. His voice was gone. His mind was blank. She was wearing his engagement ring.

She finally looked at him, her eyes still very wide. "Inuyasha?"

He cleared his throat. "If you just give me a second to explain…"

"Is. This. For. Me." She cut in.

His eyes down, he nodded. "Yeah. It's for you."

A/N: Thank you all for being so very patient with me. I know it's been more than forever for my updates. I promise *puts right hand up* to update my stories on a more regular basis. Oh, and please comment on what you read. I love hearing feedback and I love replying to them all!

Xheyxhaleyx- Since you are my biggest fan and all, this update is for you! Thanks for reading AND commenting!

Inuandkagluvr- lol a little crazy sometimes is good. You got to go crazy before the crazies make you crazy, right? Oh, I've got some cotton candy for you!

BloodFlowsLikeHoney- I've heard of the blood-bonding thing. I've read in other stories about it too. I'm headed that direction with this story, but there's a lot of twists and turns along the way. Thanks for the helpful advice! Keep reading!

NekoKags1292- Dude, I'll finish. I swear.

Maire 53- The next chapter is up, my dear!

Sassybratt- I miss fanlib SOO much!

R.S.A- I went to school for journalism and had a really strict grammar/punctuation professor. He drilled into our heads the correct way to do things so that we'd never forget. Thanks for noticing that it's all good! You're right about the out-of-character thing, but I like to play around…it's fun to imagine these characters in our modern time. I'm glad it makes you happy!

KEEP READING AND COMMENTING!!!

LOVE


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